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The Story So Far: Chris Brown and Drake’s W.i.P. Fight

It’s not like nobody saw this coming. Chris Brown and Drake have quietly been at odds for a while now—their not-so-secret tension marked by a series of social media jabs. But everything came to a head in the early hours of Thursday morning when Breezy and Drizzy ended up in the same Manhattan nightclub surrounded by bottles, women, and both artists' respective entourages.

Drake’s evening began with a visit to the Bronx, New York strip club Sin City to show support for Rick Ross and Maybach Music Group’s preview of their Self Made: Vol. 2 album. The October’s Very Own boss was in town because his Club Paradise tour had recently stopped in New Jersey with the New York gig was set to happen this Saturday at Jones Beach.

The vibe inside the star-studded affair at Sin City was a festive one—DJ Khaled and Busta Rhymes were in the building and Def Jam president Joie Manda, was buying artists lap dances. Drake, a friend and frequent collaborator with Ross, had taken MMG’s Meek Mill on his Club Paradise tour, and recently shot a video with him for their collab “Amen.” Drake was having a good time, laughing with friends and posing for pictures with fans.

It appeared that Chris Brown was finally making the turn towards putting the controversy behind him. He’d even had the opportunity to hang out and record with Rihanna again. But what happened in the early hours of Thursday morning would seem to be a giant step backwards.

The listening party wrapped around midnight and as the different crews parted ways, Drake’s next destination was downtown New York City hotspot W.I.P. (Work In Progress). Artists like Mary J. Blige. Ne-Yo, Fabolous, Adrienne Bailon, Juelz Santana, and Meek Mill were already there. Many reports also claim rapper 2 Chainz was there—he was not. But Chris Brown definitely was.

Brown, 23, was in New York promoting his forthcoming album Fortune. Last week he appeared on NBC’s Today show to perform a few new cuts. He also visited BET’s 106 & Park to speak about the project. After struggling with the negative press surrounding his physical abuse of Rihanna in 2009, his F.A.M.E. album won him a Grammy and now it appeared that he was finally making the turn towards putting the controversy behind him. He’d even had the opportunity to hang out and record with Rihanna again. But what happened in the early hours of Thursday morning, would seem to be a giant step backwards.

The issue between Drake, 25, and Chris appears to be all about a love triangle. Drake collaborated with Rihanna on her smash hit “What’s My Name,” and more recently, his song “Take Care” has widely been quoted expressing his feelings for her. They’ve also been rumored to have dated—rumors that likely rubbed Chris the wrong way.

According to a club promoter who was at W.i.P. that night, Brown sent Drake a bottle of Cristal champagne. From there the facts are difficult to pin down, but one widely reported rumor asserts that Drake sent the bottle back to Chris table with a note that read, “I’m fuckin’ the love of your life, deal with it.”

Whatever the catalyst was, a war of words soon began, with a heated exchange breaking out between the two and their respective entourages. At first the screaming match went virtually unnoticed, one club attendee told Complex. “W.I.P. isn’t set up so that people care stare at celebs in their V.I.P. sections.” That is until the brawl began, with fists being thrown and bottles, buckets, and tables flying. Things got crazy quickly.

According to a club promoter who was at W.i.P. that night, Brown sent Drake a bottle of Cristal champagne. From there the facts are difficult to pin down.

“I didn’t realize anything was going on until people were scrambling,” the clubgoer added. “I just saw club security moving people out of the way.” Who exactly threw which bottles and who punched whom has yet to be determined. [And for the record, the YouTube clip that supposedly shows the fight in progress was aired on Good Morning America today is a fake that was not even shot in the same club.] But the aftermath of the fight revealed that several were injured during the fight.

Brown was quick to show off his battle scar—a nasty gash on his chin that he displayed via his Instagram account with the caption, “Bottles, it’s nothing.”

Later a shot leaked of Big Pat, Brown’s security guard, bloodied on a stretcher. The cut on his forehead would eventually be stitched up and he’d leave the NYC hospital and return to Brown’s hotel later on Thursday. Last night Brown bigged him up via Twitter: “Big Pat! Real Nigga... Love you boy!”

Also injured was NBA star Tony Parker, who suffered a scratched retina. Australian tourist and innocent bystander Hollie C., 24, received 16 stitches in her head after getting hit with one of the flying bottles. After cleaning up, she released an emotional video lashing out at the two celebs who seemingly avoided police officers and hopped in luxury cars to leave the scene. "Where's the justice in them driving away in a limo while I had to catch the train home on one of my holidays?" she asks. Neither star was present when NYPD officers arrived at W.i.P.

So far Chris Brown appears to be cooperating with the police investigation. His acclaimed attorney Mark Geragos has yet to respond to Complex’s calls about what this melee could mean for the star, who’s still on probation from those 2009 charges. But TMZ reported that Geragos “has given the NYPD ‘physical evidence’ which allegedly shows Drake was involved.”

Today Chris Brown Instagrammed a picture of himself with with chin looking in much better condition. "A1," he captioned the picture. Coincidentally, "A1" is also the title of a recent Meek Mill song that features a line about Rihanna.

That would contradict statements by Drake’s reps saying, “Drake did not participate in any wrongdoing of any kind last night at W.I.P. He was on his way out of the club when the altercation began. [Drake] did not engage in any activity which resulted in injury to person or damage to property.”

Another report surfaced alleging that Meek Mill was the one who hit Chris Brown, not Drake. But the rapper has issued some intriguing remarks via Twitter since then. First he tweeted "It wasn't me... (shaggy voice) lol." Then he chastised Roscoe Dash for commenting on the case: "you gotta chill b4 you b tweeting my name in some shit i wasn't really in! Stay in ya line." Finally he retweeted Chris Brown, who wrote "Me and @MeekMill ain't on that bullshit. Real respect Real..."

Neither Meek, Drake nor Chris have been identified as suspects in the case. Early reports had suggested that Drake may be arrested for his involvement, but law enforcement sources have denied these rumors and insisted that there are still no suspects or arrest warrants. Reports have also described Chris as "a witness and a victim," although the NYPD has not clarified the matter as yet. Drake is set to continue his Club Paradise tour at New York’s Jones Beach tomorrow, while Chris will press on promoting Fortune. Today he Instagrammed a picture of himself with with chin looking in much better condition. "A1," he captioned the picture.

Coincidentally, "A1" is also the title of a recent Meek Mill song that features a line about Rihanna. "My new young chick look exactly like Rihanna," Meek raps on the Dreamchasers 2 cut. And so far the girl who’s allegedly at the center of it all has remained silent, although anonymous sources have been quoted saying that she's "loving the drama." Another report even suggested that Rihanna met with Chris Brown after the brawl at Jay-Z's 40/40 club and tended to his wounds.